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The Ankeny Diner

3.7 (140 reviews)
Open 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

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THE ANKENY DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Dogs allowed
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - The Ankeny Diner

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Reviews With Photos

Soda fountain counter.
Mark L.

Our server Lilly was very gracious, prompt service throughout. Had the two breakfasts in the photos, meals were hot and delicious. Diner is casual, older style decor, from the Coke Cola vending machine, table condiments, black / white tile floor, to the soda fountain and counter. Absolutely wonderful experience, reasonable prices, would certainly recommend this diner.

Ultimate B&G
Nate R.

Quaint, nice diner feel where the food is EXCELLENT!! It is biscuits and gravy with an added chicken fried chicken cutlet. A weekend special for $12.99

Eggs benedict with very crispy hashbrowns.
Kristyn M.

I have kept my 5 star review here. We were on this side of town. Just about lunchtime, but I'm still thinking of breakfast. We walked in, and there was just a short wait to get seated. The hostess was kind, took our information, and we grabbed a seat to wait. There was one group in front of us, and once we got called, we were sat immediately. 20 min tops from walking in the door for a 4 top. Big long booths. Us girlies had to scoot down so the boys could have the edge, but still comfy. The waitress was on it and very helpful. The breakfast special was util 2pm so we had lots of time. The special was called the Ultimate Biscuits and Gravy. It was a chicken fried steak served with biscuits and gravy instead of traditional meat. Both of the guys in our party ordered it. One person ordered an omelet with gluten-free bread as a side. Bonus points for having that option. I ordered the eggs benedict with the Iowa sausage links. The pictures listed online on Yelp drew me to it. This time, I didn't have to have any holdase sauce on the side, and I asked for the hashbrowns to be extra crispy. Everything came out perfect. I greedily ate the sauce with my hashbrowns. The Iowa sausage links really added a little extra to the meal, and it was all really good. They are constantly busy being attached to a hotel but worth the wait. For the price of the meals, we were all stuffed. They even have an award on the wall for the best amount of food for the money. I'm ready to head back for that breakfast again. Yum

Rarebit
Michael M.

How have ever gone this long without sharing the wonders that are the Ankeny Diner. "I still want a real cheeseburger" she told me again. A "real" cheeseburger, according to her and she's right consist of the following. - Fresh ground beef, not overly worked but packed loosely. - The ability to have it cooked to your liking. This is a big one. - Cooked medium rare, leaning more to the rare side than the medium. - Cheese. Melty cheese. Glorious melty cheese. - Lettuce - Onions - Pickles - Soft fresh bun that is not bigger then the burger itself - Juicy enough that you need extra napkins. A bit of blood also counts. My last venture to take her to a quality burger place was still fresh in my mind and I did not want to replay that train wreck. I needed to prove myself and I knew that the Ankeny Diner would not disappoint. I was right. Ankeny diner is tucked away inside of the Wyndham Garden Center. We arrive around 2:30 in the afternoon. Walking down the hallway to the diner entrance, I breath in deeply, savoring the scent of chlorine coming off of the hotel pool. I love the smell of chlorine. We are seated immediately, given menus and ordered our drinks. Our waitress comes back with our drinks and takes our orders. She orders a burger, exactly as described above except she opted for swiss cheese. I ordered the rarebit. Both us went with the fries with a side on honey mustard for dipping. The burgers came fairly quick. I dug right into mine while she assembled hers. My burger was perfectly cooked. A nice crust on the outside and a glorious medium rare, more rare then medium on the inside. I kept my eye on her, hoping that this would prove to the burger to fulfill her burger dreams. When she finally picked it up brought it to her mouth and too her first bite, her eyes closed and a soft, low mmmmm came from her while juices ran down her chin, over her fingers and dripping onto the plate. "OMG that's it. That's exactly what I wanted" she gushed. In my opinion, Ankeny Diner has the best burgers in Des Moines and is vastly under appreciated.

Cinnamon roll
Hannah V.

Ankeny Diner is great local spot that I'm sure has lots of local regulars, but also pulls travelers from the hotel it's connected to and being off I35. My husband works nights, so we met here at 6:30am and were the first of the day so the service was excellent and very quick. They have a large menu with all the home style favorites. I got a breakfast sandwich and cinnamon roll, both were warm, great tasting, and good portion size. The prices were reasonable. The exterior is under construction right now and the parking lot has lots of equipment in it. The inside is decorated like a 50's diner with plenty of booths and tables for large groups. We will definitely be coming back and are ready to try some of their supper options!

Strawberry shake. Thicker than your grandma's oatmeal
Lefai K.

Found the Ankeny Diner while on Yelp and this place was phenomenal. Located right next to our stellar Quality Inn hotel (not really), the Ankeny Diner is only a stone throw away. When we got there, it was a little misleading; the "Open" neon sign was off, the window blinds were all closed, and we thought we weren't getting dinner tonight. Pleasantly, the door was open, and you go down a long hallway. Hang a left, where there is a blue neon sign, that leads to another door. There's a giant gum-ball machine in front, near the register and a vintage Coke machine on the right. The place has a lot of character. In regards to their menu, they have a huge variety of foods, you would expect from a diner. They have of course breakfast items like french toast, pancakes, and waffles, to name a few, to sandwiches, pastas, salads, shakes/malts, and hamburgers. I got the grilled blackened chicken, which was a chicken breast patty, a small roll, and steam veggies. The chicken breast was topped with cheese and the order came with a side, which I picked fries. The chicken was cooked well, not too dry, and was seasoned really good. Overall, delicious. The fam loved their food too. My oldest got the grilled cheese burger, which were two grilled cheeses, sandwiching a meat patty, with thousand island sauce on the side. It was probably one of the best burger/sandwich I had. The bread was nice and buttery and the meat was cooked to a perfect "medium". Phenomenal. Waitstaff was great, especially considering that they seemed to be short-staffed, but everyone was patient and kind. A really great dining experience!

Breakfast is the best
Brenda R.

First time here and we will be back! Servings are large and amazing! Servers are very friendly!

Bacon cheeseburger and onion rings.

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

Business owner information

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Michael D.

thanks for stopping in, Taylor! so glad you enjoyed your visit!!

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13 years ago

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13 years ago

Always a great meal and fast service. Keeps us coming back! The breakfast is amazing!!

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12 years ago

I had a delicious patty melt!! It was a nice place, not too fancy or expensive. Great for a last minute dinner date

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12 years ago

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

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Michael D.

thanks for stopping in, Mark!

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8 years ago

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13 years ago

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10 years ago

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9 years ago

The food was good, service was fast! But my waitress was horrible, she had good intentions but not friendly at all. I'd go back either way!

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11 years ago

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

Love they serve breakfast all day! Food was good. We were there in the afternoon so it was quiet. Waitress was good.

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9 years ago

The service was really slow, waiters was more interested in talking to co-worker than taking orders. The food was good with big helpings.

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10 years ago

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13 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

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Mullets Uptown Ankeny

Mullets Uptown Ankeny

3.6
(36 reviews)
1.4 mi

Mullets in Uptown Ankeny - Brunch Review…read more Well, we finally made it here for a meal! Brunch it was, and I am glad we did! Mullets in Uptown Ankeny is a relatively new business in the uptown area. They are right off of the High Trestle Trail and provide plenty of parking for cars and bikes. They have a very nice main bar on the first floor and ample comfortable seating at the bar and at tables. But they also have a full bar and expansive rooftop dining area. And on a day like the one we had, it was picture perfect! You can get to the roof by stairs or elevator! Big bonus. The rooftop has nice views of the downtown area, and plenty of seating in or out of the sun. We were seated quickly upon arrival and greeted by our waitress within minutes with ice waters. We quickly ordered Bloody Marys, which are a house recipe ($9). They are plain but flavorful. I like mine spicy, so I asked for Tabasco - the waitress had to go on an excursion but didn't give up until she got it for me! (Thank you!) We finally found the breakfast menu (not pictured), which is a ridiculously difficult thing to navigate, because my desire and my inclination was to just order one of everything! (I guess we will have to keep coming back). We finally narrowed it down to the Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes and the Eggs Benedict Flight. We were not disappointed. The Pancakes are among the best I have ever had! While the Eggs Benedict were delicious, they are almost impossible to eat without a sharp knife and an extra plate. Pro tip - if you get the Eggs Benedict Flight, ask for an extra plate - the delivery presentation is fun to look at but horrible to eat from.

Patio views Food was just average bar food, that i feel was…read morefar to expensive for what it was. We both ordered burgers and they were just ok. The meat didn't feel flavorful and the fries were pretty dry. I ordered a cherry mule that just tasted like a regular mule. Not at all what I expected. Our waitress was attentive and friendly.

Photos
Rebekah's grad. set up (class of 2024!).
Rebekah's grad. set up (class of 2024!).
Cinnamon swirl pancakes
Cinnamon swirl pancakes
Rooftop bar

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Rooftop bar

The Ankeny Diner - diners - Updated July 2026

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